Elizabeth I joined buffet

Elizabeth I joined buffet with canted cupboard, of surprisingly compact proportions. This diminutive object, standing only 33 1/4, represents the resurgence of a Henry VIII-period form, at the hands of a late sixteenth-century joiner. The upper, enclosed tier is ornamented with heavy, mitered and incised channel moldings, and star motifs composed of inset, contrasting hardwoods. Closely related inset-work, and mouldings appear on a joined chest dated 1596 and probably from the same network of shops or even the same shop as the buffet, illustrated as lot 602 in Cold Overton Hall, Christies, 12-13 November, 1990. The structure of the buffet a pentagonal-fronted enclosure and open, lower shelf framed with two staggered pairs of stiles and two free-floating posts follows the configuration of more numerous examples datable to before 1550. Two buffets illustrated as figs. 36-37 in Furniture in England: The Age of the Joiner by Wolsey and Luff are of nearly the same form, including pendant drops and ogee-shaped trim boards, but vary substantially in ornament.

Examples of English joined case-furniture of such small scale and structural complexity that predate 1600 are exceedingly scarce. This buffet survives in remarkably intact condition that fully reflects the original intentions of its makers, retaining the original top, shelf, floor and backboards, and applied pendants and trim boards.

Turned feet lost.